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Valuable Advice for Competitive Players

Through the many years of coaching, we have done our best to provide quality advice to our players in their journey to becoming the best player/selves they can be. 

“Honesty is the first chapter in the book of Wisdom…”

Listed are a few of our most valuable ones that we have learned ourselves as competitors and what we constantly preach on the daily with them:

Focus on the factors you can control.
Your effort, your focus, your discipline, your game style, your technique, your schedule, etc. Worrying about things that are out of your control like: what the competition is doing, the ref, the draw, other people’s wins or losses, etc., is not a productive use of time and will not make you a better player.

Practice every day as if your life depended on it because your tennis life does.
Your final accomplishments in the game are just the sum and reflection of all of your daily efforts on the court. There is no time to waste.

It is what it is!
Ifs, buts, should haves, could haves or any other form of emotionally charged assessments, have no place when analyzing your performance. Look at every match coldly and objectively – what did I do well and what needs to improve? Then practice accordingly.

Put your ego aside. Stop comparing yourself.
Your level in tennis is always relative. You are great compared to some players and terrible compared to others. You do some things very well compared to some players and terribly compared to others. Who cares! Focus on what you need to improve and how to do it. Everything else is irrelevant.

Be the best athlete you can be.
Not being in the best possible shape is unacceptable if you are serious about your game. There are many things you cannot control but conditioning is a matter of effort. Put in the time, do not sabotage your success.

Seek competition and enjoy the challenge.
Learning to compete is essential for success in tennis and the only way to do this by putting it on the line regularly. Do not shun away from the battle, seek it out and learn to enjoy it.

Treat every match like the final of Wimbledon but let it go right after you are done.
Only maximum effort will give you a true evaluation of where you are, so respect every match opportunity. On the other hand, once the match is over, analyze it and let it go. Leave the emotional baggage behind. Do not let the result of one match negatively affect the next matches.

The competition is against yourself.
The biggest challenge in tennis is understanding that a match is more about yourself than about the opponent. Regardless of who you play against, the goal is always the same: Achieve a mental and physical state that will allow you to play up to your potential, then slightly adjust your game based on your opponent. That is all you can really do. Winning or loosing is out of your control. The true battle takes place within you!

Never forget that tennis is just a game.
Tennis is so demanding that it tends to take over our lives. However, on the grand scheme of things it is quite insignificant. Tennis is not who you are, it is what you like to do. It is only a game.

Have fun.
Unless you enjoy what you are doing there is no way you will be able to put in the hours and effort needed to be successful in this game. Work hard and take tennis seriously but never forget the fun.

For more valuable advice, click here. 

TRUTHS FOR EVERY PARENT

Parent-Child-Tennis

10 Truths every parent of competitive players should never forget…

1. Regardless of his/her success in junior tennis, the chances of your child making a living on the tour are close to zero, so make sure he/she is prepared for life after tennis.

2. If you were not able to change your youngster’s attitude up to this point despite living with him/her, do not expect any coach to be able to do it quickly.

3. Your son/daughter cannot play with better players every day. Whose son/daughter do you want the coach to sacrifice to accomplish this?

4. If you find yourself constantly changing coaches, the problems you are trying to solve are probably not related to coaching.

5. Thinking that your son/daughter is better than another player is not the same as him/her actually beating the player in a tournament.

6. You wanting your son/daughter to be a successful competitive player does not necessarily mean he/she wants to or can do the required work.

7. Regardless of how much money and effort you and your child put into his/her development there are absolutely no guarantees.

8. The best way to ruin your relationship with your son/daughter is to get so involved in their tennis that you forget that it is only a game.

9. Competitive tennis is not for everyone. Just because you think it is awesome, it does not mean you child has the same passion for the sport.

10. Watching Dr. House and reading about health does not qualify anyone to give medical advice.  Be careful what you tell your children about tennis.  Even the right advice at the wrong time can backfire.  Let the coach do the coaching. 

For more truths, click here

TRUTHS FOR COMPETITIVE PLAYERS

real truths players need to know

And the TRUTHS will set you free…

Truth#1 If you think you can’t benefit from a practice because your practice partner you are paired with isn’t as good as you, most likely you are not much better. If you were really better you could find a way to make it work.

Truth #2 Drills don’t suck, you most likely “suck” at the drill, and if that is the case it is exactly the drill you should be doing – as often as possible.

Truth#3 If you can’t handle making mistakes, tennis may not be the sport for you. Mistakes are part of the game. To win a match, you do not have to be perfect, you just have to make less mistakes than your opponent. Mistake management is essential for success.

Truth #4 Play against those you hate to play against, as often as possible. They are the ones that know how to exploit your weaknesses. Play with them until you start to figure out how to beat them, then, find other players whose games you loath and start the process all over again.

Truth #5 Do not complain about not playing in the higher level group. YOUR coach does not care about your ego. When they see you are ready to move up, you will.
Learn to control your thoughts and emotions if you want to succeed in the game.

Truth #6 Neither the opponent, the ref nor the spectators can make you mad – the truth is no one has that power. If you are getting angry, its because you are choosing to be. If your anger is affecting your game it is no one’s fault but yours.

Truth #7 Beating somebody once does not necessarily make you better than him/her. To be truly better you have to beat him/her most of the time.

Truth #8 Do not complain about playing higher on the line up if you are not winning at your position. The team does not care about your ego. If you are not winning, playing higher will not help anyone.

Truth #9 A true win has to happen in a tournament. Beating someone in practice is nice but it does not really carry too much weight.

Truth #10 If you do not like to play matches you are in the wrong sport. Tennis is all about learning to compete. Playing matches has to be an integral part of practice. As a matter of fact drilling should really be a supplement to match play and not the other way around.

Truth #11 Blaming your loss because your opponent was a “pusher” is ridiculous. After all, the so called “pusher” is really a player that understands the golden rule of the game. “The golden rule in tennis is to NOT miss.”  Style and speed, only count if you obey rule number one.

For more valuable advice, click here

Tasha H.

 

tasha-headshot

“I am so glad i played at the Leong Tennis Academy. Chris and Angela are very dedicated and work us really hard but know how to have fun. They are the best coaches anyone can ask for. They have so much knowledge to give and can relate to each and every one of us. These two people are the nicest people you will ever meet. It was a great feeling to have two wonderful people help me become the best tennis player/person I can be. Thank you so much for everything.”

-Tasha H.

Allie H.


392288_249278051793347_108909455830208_637782_1940715625_n“Before Chris and Angela, I felt like I never had a real tennis coach or someone I could listen to and learn… They taught me valuable things, not just regarding tennis but life lessons as well… I couldn’t be more grateful to have Chris and Angela in my life. If  you want to get better in tennis, then LTA is exactly where you need to be!”

–Allie H.

Kadie H.

Kadie H.“I can be quite the handful to teach… Chris and Angela are the best coaches I have ever had. They understand how to teach me … they know what they are talking about… and they motivate me to want to work hard… They commit to us and they believe in us.“

-Kadie H.
Academy SELECT Player

Ellie G.

ellie-g-new“As a current Division 1 level player, I am very appreciative to have gone through Chris and Angela’s training program on and off the court. Living two hours away from their training facility, they were able to work with me via email and phone. They sent me meal plans, workout plans and kept in touch with me on a regular basis. I would visit them a couple weekends a month and every weekend was always successful and valuable with the amount of training I went through. They pushed me out of my comfort zone day in and day out and helped me become a better player every time I stepped out on the court.

I started working with Chris and Angela Leong around the time when I was beginning my freshman year in high school. During the OSAA state tournament, I had lost to the girl that won the tournament very easily. I continued to train with Chris and Angela and a year later, when the OSAA state tournament came around for my sophomore year in high school, I faced the same girl I lost to in the previous year. I ended up beating her in three sets and it was one of the greatest matches I have ever played. The match overall was a good indication of how much I had improved within a year through Chris and Angela’s training.

Currently, I attend and play for Loyola Marymount. To this day, I still use the instruction and advice that Chris and Angela drilled into my head while I was a junior. Their dedication to the sport is impeccable and they have a lot of experience with developing players in to college players. What I appreciate the most was the ability to create a life long friendship with them. I look up to both of them so much for their hard work and am truly grateful to have had the chance to train with them.”

-Ellie G.

 

Sam S.

Sam S.“Playing at LTA really made my tennis experience a great one. Being able to play with players who share the same commitment and intensity as myself has improved by game a lot. Angela and Chris did a great job on teaching me how to use my mind and understand point construction which helped me with the mental side of my game. The fitness training they incorporate has made me a top athlete. All of the stretches, circuit training and condition maked matches easier physically and mentally.”

-Sam S.

 

Katie L.

Katie Lorish“I will be honest, Angela and Chris’s coaching is the best you will find in the PNW. They are amazing people who have taught me more life lessons then they will ever know. This is an incredibly character strengthening experience. Tennis is a life application as well as all of the lessons that go hand in hand with the sport. Passion, Dedication and Commitment, LTA’s watchwords, give us the strength to persevere and become the best tennis players with every practice. And… if it makes any difference… our coaches are pretty darn HOT too!”

-Katie L.

 

Allison I.

Allison-Ishii

“They best way I can describe Angela and Chris in one phrase is “the perfect coaching team.” They create the most constructive, intense and focused training sessions and I always had the most fun in their programs. They balance each other perfectly and are dedicated to helping each of their students, regardless of ability, reach their best potential. In addition, their enthusiastic and efficient method of coaching was the greatest help to me in matches and I completely trusted their guidance and advice. Most of all, the reason I loved learning from them was because they truly care about each of their players and they inspired me to always do my best. I was privileged to work with them for five years and I will always remember them as the most motivational and dedicated coaches I have ever had.”

–Allison I.
Former #1 doubles & #3 singles player for UC San Diego ‘02-‘06

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